11/06/2012

Ratio issues will impact how the Ticats use the No. 1 pick

There were a couple of issues I didn't
address in my story about the Ticats first overall pick (OK, maybe
more than a couple but it's a complicated issue.) Let's deal with
them here.

The best way to try and figure out what
the Ticats might do with the first overall pick is to look at where
the team starts its seven non-imports and work backwards from there.
This season, the team used several different combinations (mostly due
to injury) but let's look at the various positions where Hamilton
used Canadians and what the roster looks like at those spots.

Receiver

The Ticats started the season using two
Canadian receivers (Andy Fantuz and Sam Giguere) but used three for
much of the year because of injuries elsewhere (adding Dave Stala to
the mix.) I think in an ideal world, they'd prefer to use two and add
a third American in the five receiver sets – think Chris Williams,
Bakari Grant and Onrea Jones.)

Sam Giguere had more than 500 yards receiving in his rookie season.

Both Fantuz and Giguere are under
contract for the next two seasons (I believe it's three for Andy) so
that adds a semblance of stability. I know Giguere was a
disappointment to many – the expectations for him were sky high -
but he had 41 catches, 549 yards and a TD from a position on the
field where you don't see a lot of balls. The guy that played there
last season, Matt Carter, had 20 catches and 209 yards in 11 games.
Giguere was essentially a rookie and he should get better.

Anyway, the team also has Simon
Charbonneau-Campeau with a year under his belt, junior receiver Jay
Diston who practiced with the team all season and could be ready to
contribute next year and two more guys that spent time with the club
who are not currently under contract: Bogdan Raic and Jordan
Brescacin. Brescacin was with the team in training camp, then went
back to Windsor for his final year where all he did was lead the CIS
in receiving yards with 979. He's technically a free agent but said
he'd like to come back to the Ticats when he left.

Then there's Dave Stala. Sticky is a
free agent this winter and has said he wants to return. Whether he
will, however, is an open question. Stala bristled at times with his
reduced role this season and that's unlikely to improve going
forward. He may very well be able to get better money and more
opportunity from another team in a need of a aging, quality vet.

The reality is that the Ticats are in
pretty good shape at receiver. Because good Canadians are so hard to
find, it's tough to stash these guys on the practice roster if they
aren't playing. The one guy Duane Forde mentioned who is available
this year– and talking to Duane about the draft is a truly
enjoyable thing – is Stephen Alli, a receiver out of Florida who is
ranked No. 11 by CFL scouting.

“Physically, he's a freak: a
six-foot-five receiver with 4.4 speed,” Forde said. “It hasn't
played very much but he's a very intriguing guy.”

I can't see the Ticats using the first
pick on Alli but if he's there in later rounds...

Offensive line

Pascal Baillargeon is part of a good crop of young Ticat offensive lineman.

The Ticats played three Canadians on
the line for most of the year – four when import Nick Hennessy got
a start when the injury situation got dire – and will likely stick
with that arrangement: they like what Americans Brian Simmons and
Marc Dile bring at tackle. Pete Dyakowski should be back at guard and
Tim O'Neill will return as well. Centre Marwan Hage, who's had two
unlucky years with injury, is a free agent and will still command
decent dollars as a veteran guy with all-star pedigree.

The Cats have lots of kids in the
pipeline, however. Both Cody Husband and Pascal Baillargeon got
starts this season, Mike Filer saw some action as the sixth man and
Seamus Postuma spent the year learning the position and practicing
with the big boys. Carson Rockhill and Moe Petrus, drafted in 2012
and 2011 respectively, are likely on their way as well.

Instead of more youth, the Ticats may
need some veteran help to bring the kids along. Whether that's by
resigning Hage or adding other vets through free agency or trades,
Hamilton are unlikely to use the No. 1 on more youth.

Corner

This position looked like it was
destined to be a Canadian one for the foreseeable future after the
Ticats selected Ryan Hinds and Chris Rwabukamba in back-to-back
drafts in 2009 and 2010. But Hinds has been unable to lock down a
starting spot and though Rwabukamba took over the job for the second
half of 2012, it remains to be seen if he's a bona fide starter for
the long term. Both guys are decent special teamers and could likely
play safety, at least in a back up role, which leads us to...

Safety

Ticats draft pick and current UConn Huskie Courtney Stephen.

One of the guys Forde really likes is
safety Courtney Stephen from Nothern Illinois, who was taken at No. 8
last year and has ten tackles and a pick in six games this season.
Forde thinks Stephen could be the starter at safety as early as next
year, particularly with Matt Bucknor, who played there much of 2012,
there as insurance. The Cats might also pick up a veteran Canadian to
help. If the Cats are going to make a ratio change – import Dee
Webb finished the year at the position – safety might be it.

Short side linebacker

Veteran Kevin Eiben got the start in
week one and saw spot duty after that but isn't the answer long term.
The Cats also have Fredo Plesius, the No. 10 pick last year, but will
have to hope his NFL dreams are thwarted early or he won't be
available until late next summer. Veteran American Jamall Johnson had
back issues late in the year but is still one of the best
sideline-to-sidelines guys in the CFL: he's in his option year but
it's hard to see anyone other than JJ as the starter in July.

Fullback

One of the things Forde laments is the
death of the traditional fullback (in part because he was one, I
think) and the Ticats certainly don't use one much. Daryl Stephenson
played in four receiver sets, often as a tight end, and Andy Fantuz
also lined up on the line in some double-tight sets. The Cats do have
a more traditional fullback on the roster – Sam Fournier – but he
played special teams, when he played at all.

The Cats do have running back Daronn
Palmer on the way – and Forde likes him too – and it would be
interesting to see what the offensive-minded Cortez could do with
him. Still, the Ticats aren't taking a fullback at No. 1.

Defensive line

The Ticats played a Canadian defensive
lineman from 2009 to 2011 and looked ready to turn that spot into a
non-import one for the foreseeable future. But Matt Kirk retired,
followed last season by the injury-ravaged Mo Forbes – a
devastating blow, given that he was the No. 13 pick in 2011. Eddie
Steele started 2012 as the only Canadian capable of playing in the
interior and, without a viable back up, the Ticats couldn't start
him. When injuries forced them into it, Steele promptly blew out his
knee in Edmonton.

But help is on the way. Boise State's
Michael Atkinson, taken at No. 20 last year, might be NFL-bound if he
wasn't listed at just around six-feet. His pick-six – as a
defensive tackle – had tongues wagging earlier this season: he's a
big body with some athletic gifts.=

Atkinson tore his ACL on Saturday which
may delay his CFL career but that's hardly a career-ender these days.

Which is why it makes sense for the
Ticats to keep the No. 1 overall and use it on either Stefan Charles
or Linden Gaydosh, currently ranked as the top two prospects in the
draft. Atkinson, Charles or Gaydosh, Steele and maybe veteran free
agent X, turns nose tackle into a starter spot for the Ticats for the
foreseeable future.

Believe it or not, defensive end might
also be an option. Marc-Antoine Fortin saw some time in the rotation
this year and seems to be a savvy player with a good motor. The Cats
drafted another Laval kid, Arnaud Gascon-Nadon last year and he
should be in training camp this spring. It's less likely than tackle,
a more traditional Canadian spot, but not beyond the realm of
possibility.

Given all that, this is where the
Ticats could play their seven Canadians next season:

Receiver: 2Offensive line: 3Defensive line: 1Safety or corner: 1

The biggest concern I might have at
this point is the inexperience of most the Ticats Canadian talent,
especially with Stala and Hage poised to become free agents. That
youthfulness bodes well for the long run but the growing pains could
be substantial.

Of course, the draft will happen after
free agency which would be one way for the Ticats to add some veteran
Canadian depth – though it's typically expensive. Trades are
another. Either way, what the Ticats do before the draft will provide
at least a hint of their plans for selection day.

Comments

This is a great synopsis, but i am sure many more prospects will be making their names known in the next couple of weeks and months.
What is greater concern to me is the lack of news coming from Jarvis Street.
Winnipeg is already making moves, solidifying their team and talking about the free agents they want to resign. There are discussions about coaching needs. Edmonton dumped their GM. We ended up in last place and have made no comments, no moves, no votes of confidence, AND have nowhere to play. You would have thought we were Grey Cup bound, not the sorriest franchise in the CFL for the last decade.

I'd go for a DL. We have enough young OL.
I'd definitely re-sign Stala. He's a clutch receiver who was vastly under utilized this season. While older than Fantuz, he's not exactly old...he's actually 4 years younger than Burris.
Perhaos also trade for some DB help. Would be nice to get Chris Thompson back.

@clay
As posted by msd, Fantuz's numbers were petty good, it was the ill timed fumbles
that hurt his contribution, but as also stated a rung bell takes it's toll , ...anyways Burris seemed to be able to for the most part find him in the middle of the field quite a bit so I don;t see any chance of Fantuz not starting for Hamilton unless it became a salary dump , which going into the " lost year " would not be a good move, especially by a team that finished 8th.

With four n/i on the Oline, two receivers, and a db, the TiCats don't need to look at other positions. One FB and if need be Safety and they're well covered. Spreading n/i starters around the Dline or LB corp is asking for ratio-injury issues.

What's really sad is that other than Winnipeg, every other team is talking playoffs while we've started debating the 2013 Draft already. This season more than others was crushing to the fan base spirit.

You're talking about alot of inexperience there. My worry with drafting Stefan Charles from Regina is that he's getting NFL interest already. As deep as the receivers are they still need to resign Stalla cause he has the best hands in the CFL bar none. Fantuz better have a stronger year in 2013 or he and the fat contract will be dumped.

With potentially two more young NI O-linemen coming, the Cats have some decent depth there - Husband has been fairly steady, Baillargeon didn't look out of place, and if Hage returns that means plenty of younger guys to provide depth. It would be nice to have 4 NI starters.

As far as receivers go, it would be nice if the Cats concentrated on other positions this off-season. Fantuz didn't deliver a league-best performance, but he still had a good year especially considering he missed time after getting his bell rung - 72 catches for 971 yards, to lead all Canadian receivers... and started to come on stronger toward the end of the year.

Giguere had a lot expected of him, but as a former 1st rounder with 3 seasons and part of a 4th on NFL rosters that's not unreasonable. I think the last game was a perfect microcosm of his season - plays where he goofed up, others where he didn't appear to try hard, and others where he made a difference (e.g., a key first down late in the game). I think if he would just show more EFFORT he'd get some love from the fans, not to mention the stat sheet.

I think defensive line is a key target in the draft. We've had far too much rotation, partly due to injury, but I'd be happy to see us have a consistent NI starter in the mix.

What will also be interesting is whether the Cats stick with the "futures" strategy and draft guys who have another year of college/university eligibility left, or go for guys who can compete for a spot right away. If the latter, that will create quite a logjam at camp, and might mean some good prospects are lost. Perhaps a more balanced mix of ready/underclassmen is best?